Upsets and close calls lead In-Season Challenge storylines from Sonoma

He nearly did it again.

Without a drafting track to kick things off, it stood to reason that the second official edition of NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge would begin with a chalky, favorite-focused opening round. But trouble for the year’s two lead drivers – Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin – opened the door for upsets in Sonoma.

Included in those upset hopes was Ty Dillon, the surprise underdog of the midseason tournament’s first edition. The Kaulig Racing veteran found himself positioned against Hamlin for the second-straight year and, with the help of Hamlin’s spin, was poised to knock him out once again.

Unfortunately for the younger Dillon brother, the odds didn’t work in his favor this time. Power steering issues caused him to drop through the field in the final 15 laps, allowing Hamlin to sneak through in 26th.

Reddick was less fortunate. And although the upset isn’t as severe, with Alex Bowman slotted 32nd after missing races with vertigo, the Hendrick Motorsports star will still have burst many brackets after his 10th-place run.

Beyond Bowman, the biggest upset came courtesy of Todd Gilliland. The Front Row Motorsports star had a difficult day in 29th, but came home two spots clear of a struggling Daniel Suarez to knock the Mexican star out of the tournament.

Only one other larger seed prevailed at day’s end. A solid run from the 20th-seeded Michael McDowell allowed him to muscle out Bubba Wallace in the ninth seed.

From there, the results were generally straightforward. Ryan Blaney, Ty Gibbs, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, William Byron, Chase Briscoe and Shane van Gisbergen comfortably advanced. No. 4 Chase Elliott (17th) and No. 7 Chris Buescher (19th) had difficult days, but snuck through after their counterparts (John Hunter Nemechek and Noah Gragson) finished worse.

The closest battles came near the midfield. No. 16 Austin Cindric withstood final stage pressure from Brad Keselowski and prevailed by two positions in 13th. No. 15 Erik Jones was just one second clear of Joey Logano at race’s end, but did enough to advance after crashing in practice and compromising his weekend.

The In-Season Challenge will be thrown curveballs in the next two weeks, with the Next Gen era’s first trip to Chicagoland Speedway up next and the chaotic EchoPark Speedway looming in two weeks.

Here are the full results:

No. 32 Alex Bowman (10th) beat No. 1 Tyler Reddick (36th)

No. 2 Denny Hamlin (26th) beat No. 31 Ty Dillon (35th)

No. 3 Ryan Blaney (sixth) beat No. 30 Josh Berry (28th).

No. 4 Chase Elliott (17th) beat No. 29 Noah Gragson (32nd)

No. 5 Ty Gibbs (third) beat No. 28 Austin Dillon (27th)

No. 6 Kyle Larson (fourth) beat No. 27 Riley Herbst (30th)

No. 7 Chris Buescher (19th) beat No. 26 John Hunter Nemechek (25th)

No. 25 Todd Gilliland (29th) beat No. 8 Daniel Suarez (31st)

No. 9 Carson Hocevar (11th) beat No. 24 Zane Smith (18th)

No. 10 Christopher Bell (fifth) beat No. 23 Ross Chastain (14th)

No. 11 William Byron (12th) beat No. 22 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (21st)

No. 12 Chase Briscoe (second) bet No. 21 AJ Allmendinger (16th)

No. 20 Michael McDowell (ninth) beat No. 13 Bubba Wallace (22nd)

No. 14 Shane van Gisbergen (first) beat No. 19 Ryan Preece (Eighth)

No. 15 Erik Jones (23rd) beat No. 18 Joey Logano (24th)

No. 16 Austin Cindric (13th) beat No. 17 Brad Keselowski (15th)

Chicagoland Matchups:

No. 16 Austin Cindric vs. No. 32 Alex Bowman

No. 9 Carson Hocevar vs. No. 25 Todd Gilliland

No. 5 Ty Gibbs vs. No. 12 Chase Briscoe

No. 4 Chase Elliott vs. No. 20 Michael McDowell

No. 2 Denny Hamlin vs. No. 15 Erik Jones

No. 7 Chris Buescher vs. No. 10 Christopher Bell

No. 6 Kyle Larson vs. No. 11 William Byron

No. 3 Ryan Blaney vs. No. 14 Shane van Gisbergen